What did suffering teach you that success never could?

With all the focus on success it’s easy to overlook the valuable lessons we can learn from the more difficult parts of our journey. Below, you’ll find some very interesting insights from some of the most fascinating members of the community.

Lance Cowart

Success is a powerful validator; it rewards our performance and confirms our strengths. Yet, success can also be a deceptive teacher, often fostering a sense of control that leads to complacency. It is through the experience of suffering—the trials that comfort never requires—that our true foundation is revealed. While success celebrates the achievement of a goal, suffering introduces us to Resilience. Read more>>

Jonny Brown

Suffering taught me lessons that success never could. Success is often the result, but suffering is the teacher. I learned that suffering comes in different forms enduring pain, being stretched beyond your limits, and being forced to confront who you really are when nothing is working. Read more>>

Steven Gostin

Wow. You posed some interesting questions that really provoked thoughts and emotions. Suffering taught me something success never could: honesty. Not the kind you speak out loud, but the kind you finally admit to yourself when you’re tired of repeating the same mistakes. Read more>>

Piera Klein

Suffering taught me about humanity, desire, and agency — and about the necessity of allowing experience to move through the body rather than take it over. It revealed that without anchoring, intensity becomes destabilizing. It taught me when to slow, when to hold, when to listen inward instead of pushing forward. Read more>>

Hannah Barr

We all suffered in some way or another during the pandemic. Part of my suffering during that time was not being able to continue with my career that has a fairly short time stamp, and at which I felt like I was currently in my prime for, such as any pro athlete I’m sure was feeling. Read more>>

Jim Hjort

I had a pretty difficult upbringing, experiencing homelessness and a family member with mental illness in my childhood. That left me pretty unbalanced and miserable entering young adulthood, with no clear sense of who I was or what to do with my life. The material success I achieved in private equity did nothing to help those problems, which was an important observation. Read more>>